Vatican approves patron saints, ember days for 3 Arab nations
August 20, 2025
The Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments approved a new liturgical calendar for the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia, whose clergy minister to the faithful in the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen.
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The dicastery designated Saints Peter and Paul as patrons of the vicariate and declared the Blessed Virgin Mary (under the title Our Lady of Arabia) as patroness of Arabia.
The vicariate’s new particular calendar includes several regional saints—much as several saints (such as St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. John Neumann) are included in the particular calendar of the dioceses of the United States, but are not listed on the General Roman Calendar,
The dicastery also approved three ember days of prayer and penance in the vicariate on the first Fridays of March, June, and November.
Ember days, which date to the early third century, were long a feature of Catholic life. Following the Second Vatican Council, Pope St. Paul VI issued Paenitemini, his Apostolic Constitution on Penance, which declared Fridays and the season of Lent to be days of penance, but made no mention of ember days. The General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, issued in 1969, stated:
On Rogation and Ember Days the Church is accustomed to entreat the Lord for the various needs of humanity, especially for the fruits of the earth and for human labor, and to give thanks to him publicly.
In order that the Rogation Days and Ember Days may be adapted to the different regions and different needs of the faithful, the Conferences of Bishops should arrange the time and manner in which they are held. Consequently, concerning their duration, whether they are to last one or more days, or be repeated in the course of the year, norms are to be established by the competent authority, taking into consideration local needs. (nos. 45-46)
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